About the job

Job summary

Building a strong Commercial Function in Government, and with it the right commercial capability, is at the heart of a far-reaching programme of Civil Service reform.

We are building a cadre of commercial talent in all Government departments; people who can manage our commercial portfolios, who can lead our most complex and novel programmes and projects, people who have the gravitas and depth of experience to work alongside our policy and operational leaders to develop innovative commercial arrangements, whether through joint ventures, outsourcing or best-in-class contracts.

The Government Commercial Organisation is an employer which is truly committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and are able to perform to their potential. We understand the importance of diversity and inclusion and strive for a workplace that reflects the communities which we serve. We especially welcome applications from underrepresented groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates, candidates with a disability and candidates with gender-diverse identities. Appointments will be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

We have already made significant progress through the establishment of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), our single employer of senior commercial talent across government. This role will sit within the GCO, but based in our Department of Health and Social Care commercial team delivering departmental objectives.

Job description

The Commercial Assurance Team has exposure to the most high-value, complex activity across the department and the wider health family. The commercial assurance lead provides commercial advice and assurance on commercial activity across all spend categories, including digital, corporate, medicines, vaccines, professional services, consultancy and contingent labor. This assurance ensures that commercial business cases are developed in accordance with best practice, comply with relevant policies and regulations and deliver value for money, in addition to identifying potential risks and mitigation strategies. The role provides opportunity for the post holder to engage with senior stakeholders internally as well as senior commercial peers in the departments arms-length bodies and with the Cabinet Office commercial controls team.

The post holder will work in collaboration with commercial approval panels (Commercial assurance board CAB and the Professional services approval panel (PSAP) and will play a key role in communicating commercial controls internally and to the department’s Arm’s Length Bodies.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide commercial assurance for the Department on high value (>£10M) often complex commercial activity from across the health family and within DHSC. Covering all categories of spend.

• Providing robust commercial assurance which is consistent, clear and addresses commercial risk, value for money and compliance with regulation. In addition to adherence with best practice set out in relevant playbooks (i.e., sourcing playbook, consultancy playbook etc.).

• Providing well-articulated commercial assurance reports for the Departments various approvals boards, namely the Commercial Assurance Board (CAB), Investment Committee (IC), Joint Investment Committee (JIC) and Digital Investment Sub Committee (DISC). Briefing senior commercial stakeholders before panel meetings.

• Develop and maintain strong strategic relationships with the Departments arm’s length bodies, working collaboratively to understand business case pipelines and proactively providing commercial assurance in a timely manner.

• Clear communication of departmental, Cabinet Office and HMT controls to provide clarity to business case owners on approval routes/requirements.

• Engagement with Cabinet Office Commercial Controls team, facilitating early sight of DHSC and Health family activity to allow for triage decisions to be made ahead of time and to reduce retrospective approvals and irregular spend occurrences.

• Provide strong leadership to an immediate team (TBC) and support to wider colleagues to deliver high quality commercial solutions in challenging environments where ambiguity exists, and stakeholders require experienced commercial management.

• Management and monitoring of approval conditions (from DHSC and Cabinet Office) managing case owners to provide required information in advance of deadlines.

• Deputise for the G6’s/Deputy Director of Commercial Assurance as required and act as a professional role model to team and colleagues across the directorate.

Relevant experience and skills:

• Detailed knowledge of public sector procurement procedures and regulations.

• Excellent communication, relationship and stakeholder management skills.

• Focus on achieving commercial outcomes and delivering value for money.

• Working in a fast-paced environment: identifying opportunities and reprioritising actions based on customer demands, criticality and interdependencies.

• Leadership experience either from line management or from leading complex Commercial projects.

Benefits

As a valued employee of the Government Commercial Organisation (GCO), you will have access to all the benefits the centre has to offer; including flexible working, generous benefits, Career Coaches, Mentors, L&D, a Commercial College, active talent management and, most importantly, access to commercial projects that will far exceed the scale and complexity on offer elsewhere in the UK.

For existing Civil Servants: For full details of the impact on any move across the civil service on your existing terms and conditions, please read the candidate pack. Please note that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to continue to claim childcare vouchers.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.Please be advised that the Virtual ADC is taking place on 18th January 2024 and will require a full day's attendance. Please contact commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in advance if you are unable to attend this date.

Details of schemes available are attached in the advert.

For full details of our process, and a likely timeline, please read the explanation provided in the attached candidate pack.

Throughout our selection process, we will make decisions about your capability to do the job, based on evidence you provide against the essential criteria for the role which are detailed in the attached Candidate Pack.

Your application will be reviewed by a panel and should you be successful at sift we will invite you to attend a Virtual commercial Assessment and Development Centre (VADC). The panel will review results of the VADC and determine which candidates will go through to a subsequent final panel interview.

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive an acknowledgement of your application within 2 working days please contact: commercialresourcinghub@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.